Julião Sarmento: 75 photographs, 35 women, 42 years

Julião Sarmento draws upon themes of memory, sexuality, transgression, morality, and duality. He works across different mediums (painting, collage, drawing, sculpture, performance, and film) to deploy a concise vocabulary of images. One of the most important artists of his generation, Sarmento has exhibited extensively since the 1970s.

Julião Sarmento: 75 Photographs, 35 Women, 42 Years brings together a large body of work that has never been shown in the UK. First exhibited at Vieira da Silva & Arpad Szenes Fundation in Lisbon, Portugal in 2010, the collection of images has been gathered from Sarmento's extensive photographic archive by the curator Sérgio Mah. The selection of 75 photographs, taken by Sarmento from the late 1960s to early 2000, was based upon the common link of portraits of individual women.

The portrayal of the female form, normally faceless women or monochrome silhouettes, has been a major theme throughout Sarmento's practice. However, the practice of portraiture has predominantly been associated with Sarmento's photographic works. 75 Photographs, 35 Women, 42 Years not only depicts the female face, but the title of each image reveals the woman's name and connects her to a time and place in Sarmento's life. Collectively the portraits reflect upon relationships, especially the connection and dialogue between each woman and the artist. The candid shots capture personal and intimate exchanges, along with more impulsive and playful moments. In some of the photographs the preparatory and experimental nature of the shot alludes to Sarmento's wider conceptual and aesthetic sensibilities.

Julião Sarmento lives and works in Estoril, Portugal. His work is represented in public collections worldwide including: Tate Collection, London; The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Musée National d'Art Moderne Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum. Julião Sarmento represented Portugal at the Venice Biennial in 1997.